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"Saying 'I notice you're a nerd' is like saying, 'Hey, I notice that you'd rather be intelligent than be stupid, that you'd rather be thoughtful than be vapid, that you believe that there are things that matter more than the arrest record of Lindsay Lohan. Why is that?' In fact, it seems to me that most contemporary insults are pretty lame. Even 'lame' is kind of lame. Saying 'You're lame' is like saying 'You walk with a limp.' Yeah, whatever, so does 50 Cent, and he's done all right for himself."— John Green

3.03.2014

Article 5 Series by Kristen Simmons Giveaway Day 1!

I have a VERY exciting giveaway for you all! It is one of my favorite series and an amazing dystopia that EVERYONE should read!I hope you have heard of this series, but if you haven't I am talking about the Article 5 series by Kristen Simmons! There are three books in the series, Article 5, Breaking Point, and the newly released on February 11th, Three.
In honor of the release of Three, and how awesome this series is I have 3 sets of the ENTIRE Article 5 series to give away, and they are ALL SIGNED!To peak your interest I am including some excerpts from each book over the course of the week. Kristen is so sweet, and her books are so great, so I'm very excited to help share them with you!Scroll down to the rafflecopter below to enter, check back Wednesday for an excerpt from Book 2, Breaking Point, and good luck!!

Beth and Ryan were holding hands. It was enough to risk a formal citation for indecency, and they knew better, but I didn't say anything. Curfew rounds wouldn't begin for another two hours, and freedom was stolen in moments like these.“Slow down, Ember,” Ryan called.Instead I walked faster, pulling away from our pack.“Leave her alone,” I heard Beth whisper. My face heated as I realized how I must look: not like a conscientious friend who was minding her own business, but like a bitter third wheel who couldn't stand seeing other couples happy. Which wasn't true—mostly.Sheepishly, I fell into step beside Beth.My best friend was tall for a girl, with an explosion of dark freckles centered at her nose and a cap of squiggly red hair that was untamable on chilly days like this one. She traded Ryan’s arm for mine—which, if I was honest, did make me feel a little safer—and without a word, we danced on our tiptoes around the massive cracks in the sidewalk, just like we’d done since the fourth grade.When the concrete path succumbed to gravel, I raised the front of my too-long khaki skirt so the hem didn't drag in the dust. I hated this skirt. The matching button-up top was so boxy and stiff that it made even busty Beth look flat as an ironing board. School uniforms were part of President Scarboro’s new Moral Statute—one of many that had taken effect after the War—mandating that appearances comply with gender roles. I didn't know what gender they’d been aiming for with this outfit. Clearly it wasn't female.We stopped at the gas station on the corner out of habit. Though it was the only one in the county still open, the lot was empty. Not many people could afford cars anymore.We never went inside. There would be snacks and candy bars on the racks, all priced ten times higher than they’d been last year, and we didn't have any money. We stayed where we were welcome—on the outside. Three feet removed from the hundreds of tiny faces imprisoned behind the tinted glass. The board read:

MISSING! IF SIGHTED, CONTACT THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF REFORMATION IMMEDIATELY!

Silently, we scanned the photographs of the foster-care runaways and escaped criminals for anyone we might know, checking for one picture in particular. Katelyn Meadows. A girl with auburn hair and a perky smile, who’d been in my junior history class last year. Mrs. Matthews had just told her she’d gotten the highest grade in the class on her midterm when the soldiers had arrived to take her to trial. “Article 1 violation,” they’d said. Noncompliance with the national religion. It wasn't as if she’d been caught worshipping the devil; she’d missed school for Passover, and it had gone on to the school board as an unauthorized absence.That was the last time anyone had seen her.The next week Mrs. Matthews had been forced to take the Bill of Rights out of the curriculum. There was no discussion permitted on the topic. The soldiers posted at the door and at the recruiting table in the cafeteria made sure of that.Two months after Katelyn’s trial, her family had moved away. Her phone number had been disconnected. It was as if she’d never existed.Katelyn and I hadn't been friends. It wasn't that I didn't like her; I thought she was all right, actually. We always said hi, if not much more. But since her sudden disappearance, something dark had kindled inside of me. I’d been more on guard. As compliant with the Statutes as possible. I didn't like to sit in the front row of class anymore, and I never walked home from school alone.I couldn’t be taken. I had to look out for my mother.I finished my review. No Katelyn Meadows. Not this week.

GIVEAWAY!

Terms and Conditions:

Open only to US residents!

No INT entries!

Must be 13 years old to enter.

THREE winners will win SIGNED copies of the ARTICLE 5 series.

Winner will be contacted by email to inform them they won.

Winner has 48 hours to respond with mailing address or a new winner will be chosen.

NO PO BOXES as prizes tend to be lost when sent there.

I claim no responsibility for lost prizes.

Once recipient has received prize, all personal information is deleted.

13 comments:

I'm not really sure what kind of world. I love how Mafi has included powers in her world. Bracken did a similar thing. I'm huge on Xmen and super heroes, so something to do with that. Or maybe something to do with Cyborgs. I love the sci fi stuff! Thanks for the giveaway!

I'd create a world where there is an angry dictator who says that if anyone gets angry (which is often), then they have to fight in an area to solve the problem. It usually ends in death or injuries. Other than that, the world is functioning fine under the dictator, who tries to create a utopia. :D

Mine would be a mix of dystopian and fantasy, set in the old world. It would be a queendom and there would be some form of caste system. Like in Article 5, I'd probably have rules in place to be followed. Maybe, there would be a neighboring kingdom, completely opposite of mine. And for whatever reason, we'd have to put aside our difference and unite as one to keep the peace. :)

If I were to write a dystopian story, I'd either do a combination of dystopian and aliens or dystopian and history. I feel like combining two unlikely and opposite things could provide the best result for a common story setting.

I actually have a plan for that, a dystopian world where the gov't steals twins at birth and uses them to cure diseases by immoral and unethical means. Sort of a Brave New World meets The Hunger Games kinda feel. When a group of teen survivors (their twins "died" at birth) start putting the missing pieces together, they set out to find their lost twins and set them free.